The American Gem Trade Association announced Dec. 7 that the
AGTA GemeShare online colored gemstone trading platform is now live.

After more than two years in development and beta-testing,
the online marketplace will offer a wide selection of colored gemstones from
AGTA member dealers.  The site is
free to use for all jewelry industry buyers and currently features thousands of
gemstone listings.

“An ongoing concern of retail buyers and manufacturers in
sourcing gemstones online is knowing that the source is credible,” said Douglas
K. Hucker, AGTA CEO, in a statement. “With the AGTA GemeShare platform, only
AGTA Members can list gemstones for sale, which means that retailers can be
assured that they are buying from companies who adhere to a strict code of
ethics and disclosure.”

All gemstones are accompanied by a photographic image along
with the accurate color of the gemstone, verified by the seller using the
GemeWizard color analysis system. 
The website also offers retailers the opportunity to create a customized
webpage storefront that can be integrated with their current website.  Retailers will be able to offer a
virtual inventory of gemstones to their clients over the web or in the store
with pricing based on their desired markup levels.

JCK